Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore (1996, Paperback)

Coyote Blue is a another fine example of Christopher Moore's satirical, and sometimes cockeyed, view of life and religion, caricaturing certain cultural notions toward a humorous end. It is the sort of story that will bend the reader's spiritual thinking and sensibilities; much as Lamb did for Christianity, so Coyote Blue does for Native Americans.

Sam Hunter, the protagonist, is a hotshot insurance salesman who is driven back to his Indian roots by lust for Calliope, a gorgeous, leggy blond he spots on his way to an appointment. With the help- or interference- of Old Man Coyote, a spirit guide which he'd prefer to avoid, Moore takes his reader on a fast-paced, twisted, funny, and somewhat fragmented, journey that becomes a sequel to his 1992 novel: Practical Demonkeeping. The story arc leads the reader from California to Las Vegas to South Dakota- where a fist-full of characters rescue Calliope's son, abducted by her outlaw biker ex-husband- and ultimately to Montana. Throughout the course of the book, Sam gradually transforms back into Samson Hunts Alone and the destiny for which he was called.

Christopher Moore's Coyote Blue provides humor and a few life lessons: discovering what truly matters in life and the importance of being true to yourself. The eclectic characters are strong and the plot moves at the comfortable pace. Moore nicely captures the essence of the Native American Coyote legend. Lively and loopy, and certainly imaginative, the novel yields an entertaining, but predictable, romantic adventure.

I decided to buy this book after reading two other Christopher Moore books, A Dirty Job being the best, and I could not stop reading it. I finished a dirty job in about four days. This is not the case with Coyote Blue. It starts off so slow I found myself drifting to other things, it really couldn't even keep my attention, which was surprising to me because his other books were great. I only read nine or ten chapters and have not touched it in over a month. Someday I plan to finish it, but sadly I am not in a hurry. My advice is read a dirty job instead.